Trade
by Sketchy Tone
Summary: Will an unexpected encounter mark the end of Kaitou KID's legacy, or spark the beginning of a relationship? Eventual KIDco/KaiShin
1. Prologue - Surreal

**Disclaimer:** Detective Conan & Magic Kaito belong to Aoyama Gosho.

**Ship:** Eventual Kuroba Kaito (Kaitou KID) x Kudou Shinichi (Edogawa Conan)

**Words: **313

**A/N:** New story on April 1st! **Happy KID & Conan's First Encounter Day~!**

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**Trade**

**Prologue: Surreal**

_Is this for real? _Mused Kaito as he held the diamond-shaped big jewel to the moonlight. Bright crimson light exploded from the inside of said jewel, revealing a smaller, teardrop-shaped piece. Yup, it certainly matched the description for Pandora all right, and he had no doubt that this was the real deal.

Kaito collapsed onto his knees as he let everything happening that moment sink in. He was holding the Pandora – the jewel that took his father's life from him and his mom – in his hands. He was just given the Pandora by _Tantei-kun,_ and now he was kneeling in front of said detective, in his full Kaitou KID attire. He was just told that the jewel had been hidden in the petite detective's house since ten _years_ago.

In other words, he and his father had been digging through the wrong places _all along_for the cursed jewel that shattered his family.

Oh, the _irony_.

The white-clad thief didn't realize when he started trembling or when his eyes started to run. He didn't move an inch even as the petite detective started calling his name and shaking his right arm to get his attention. _KID. Kuroba._ Oh crap, his identity was no longer a secret now huh? But somehow, it didn't matter to him anymore. _Nothing_ seemed to matter anymore. After all, he finally had the Pandora in his hands, despite the surreal circumstances that led to it. He could finally smash this blasted jewel into pieces and bring an end to this immortality nonsense.

A sudden sense of relief washed over Kaito as he relaxed every tensed muscle in his body. Before Kaito could manage another thought, everything went blank and his consciousness took a free fall through darkness. A small yet reassuring hand rested on his burning forehead as he blanked out, telling him to rest and not to worry.

_TBC._

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**Afterword: **Thanks for reading! Please review and tell me your thoughts! Big thanks to everyone who fav-ed/alert-ed/reviewed my other stories, as well as everyone who put me on their author fav/alert list! \^p^/

Don't know if anyone here read _Spiral_ story #2 last year… that's this story but it has gone through major changes since then. Chapter 1 will hopefully be up this weekend. The prologue will be explained later in a few chapters.

Title adapted from _GARNET CROW_'s _Trade_ – one of their newest songs from their latest album _Terminus_. My love for nearly 10 years is disbanding. I'm trying to figure out a way to go to Japan in May or June to watch GC's final live ;A; (This is NOT an April Fool's day joke. Go check their official website.)


	2. 01 - Rhythm

**Words: **1361

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**Trade**

**Chapter 01: Rhythm**

KID the Phantom Thief's heists had been one of Edogawa Conan's favourite stress relievers. It was a place where he could take his mind off the affairs with the Black Organization, and put his knowledge and deductive skills to test without anyone dropping dead within his vicinity.

KID was a very enigmatic thief – despite being a criminal, he made sure that no one gets hurt at his heists, and he always returned what he stole. Not to mention that the thief had save him and the Shounen Tantei-dan a couple times as well. Also, unlike most criminals, KID did not treat him like a child – KID treated him like an equal mind, and he respected the thief for that. He loved the surprises accompanied with the thief's magic, and the thrills attached with the chase. It was a different and unique experience at each and every heist, and it was one of the few things that he secretly wished would never change. Because of the above reasons, he always made sure that he'd able to attend KID's heists whenever they take place.

If Conan had to put a description down, he'd say that KID was the composer and conductor of the heists. Everyone, including the detectives, police officers, spectators, and fans, were merely following the rhythm and melody the thief had in mind. Whether they liked it or not, the moment they chose to participate, they'd be subconsciously following the unsaid rules of a KID's heist. Bottom line was that while detectives like himself might create turbulence to KID's rhythm, KID would still prevail at the end by escaping, either with or without his target, and without a trace.

Along with Mouri Ran, Mouri Kogorou, Suzuki Sonoko and Suzuki Jirokichi, Conan arrived at Shinjuku Kirameku Hotel, where Kaitou KID's heist of the night would take place. In the surrounding area, Nakamori-keibu and his task force were trying to set out plans to capture the white clad thief while keeping the audience away from the entrance of the hotel. As usual, upon their arrival, everyone (excluding himself) had to suffer through the routine cheek-pinch-test from Nakamori-keibu to earn their permission to entry. There're perks about being a kid after all, Conan mused. Being too small to be disguised by Kaitou KID pretty much gave him immunity from that dreadful cheek-pinch. That big red mark on everyone's face certainly looked awfully _painful_…

The target of the night was a ruby ring named _The Hope Ruby_, which was apparently one of the most expensive rubies ever sold in the world. With his connections, Suzuki Jirokichi managed to acquire this invaluable ruby ring to be exhibited in celebration to the grand opening of this new luxury hotel under the Suzuki Financial Group. While Conan felt that he could never understand why a piece of gemstone could worth as much as six million dollars, he had no doubt that something as sophisticated as this gemstone would be worthy of the phantom thief's attention.

The ruby ring was locked up within layers of bullet-proof glass containers along with laser beams projecting at every possible angle, while surrounded by task force members guarding every possible entrance and exit to the exhibition hall. There were also an assortment of traps set up in all hallways and potential escape routes. Nakamori-keibu and Suzuki-san seemed to be confident that this _flawless_ setup would successfully capture Kaitou KID, marking the end of his legacy. While Conan would've agreed that an overkill setup like this one would be more than sufficient against most ordinary thieves, but _Kaitou KID_ was nothing but _ordinary_. He wouldn't admit it out loud (unless he was up for a punch to the head by Mouri Kogorou), but deep inside his heart was beating with excitement, wondering how the illusionary thief would surprise his audience of the night.

Diverting his attention away from the ruby ring, Conan turned around to examine the rest of the exhibition hall for clues to Kaitou KID's plan. He could hear Sonoko's continuous babbling over how _amazing _KID was projecting through the hall while Ran mindlessly nodded and responded. He didn't want to know where Sonoko got the idea of putting super heavy make-ups on her face and wearing a huge _frilly_ rosy dress to capture KID's attention. The child-sized detective tuned out their voices as he tried to clear his head to get the gears in his brain running.

This was a first and he couldn't fathom why, but something just felt _off _today, and he had this feeling ever since he entered this exhibition hall. It felt like as if something will crush the natural rhythm of a Kaitou KID's heist, as awkward as that might have sounded.

If he had to point fingers, the first thing he'd point out would be that he couldn't feel Kaitou KID's piercing presence like he usually would at a heist site; it's as if the thief's focus and presence had been deprived from him tonight. That made him wonder – since when did it become habitual for him to expect KID's attention?! Yet he had no doubt that the thief was already present at the hotel, as the thief had never failed to show up for a heist.

Other than that, he also felt a sensation of uneasiness – it was a familiar uneasiness that he had felt a few times before, except he just couldn't pinpoint what it was right now. It was different from the anxiety he had felt at a KID's heist before, though. His detective instinct was telling him that something _huge_ was going to take place tonight, but exactly _what?_

Before Conan's musing could carry further, the room was suddenly engulfed by darkness, signaling Kaitou KID's impending appearance. The clock on the wall continued to tick as everyone in the room fell silent with anticipation, that even the slightest sound of breathing could be heard. Shortly afterwards, everyone tensed as noises of something cutting through air were made.

Before anyone could figure out the source of said noises, a loud bang and pink smoke captured everyone's attention as the room was once again lit by lights. On top of the bullet-proof glass case stood the white clad thief with the ruby ring in his hand. The surrounding laser projectors appeared to be all destroyed by cards from KID's card gun as none of them lit up again with the return of electricity. Conan could imagine how high Nakamori-keibu's blood pressure must be right now, judging from how red his face had turned against KID's smug grin.

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming tonight. I'm sorry to inform you that I must take my leave now. While this wasn't my most elegant performance, I hope you enjoyed it. Until next time!" Without another word, KID had disappeared along with a puff of blue smoke – except this time it was accompanied with a click that obviously came from the door leading towards the east branch of the hotel. Without hesitation, Nakamori-keibu immediately led his task force to follow KID's track.

The first thought that crossed Conan's mind was that KID wouldn't make simple mistakes like this, and that it was likely a trap to lure the task force away. The second thought however, really stood out to him – if KID had the time to take care of the bullet-proof glass cases and all the laser projectors, why didn't he knock out the task force as well?! Knocking the task force out with sleeping gas would've been a piece of cake, so why was he going through the trouble to lure Nakamori-keibu and the task force away instead?

Moreover, why did it feel _rushed_? KID destroyed all traps within the ruby's proximity, and he immediately made a very brief entrance while apologizing for an imperfect performance. Was there any reason why KID didn't make this 'show' as flashy as he usually would?

Baffled by KID's ambiguous intention, the boy detective immediately made a sprint towards the north branch of the hotel, where he presumed the phantom thief had made his escape. He wasn't gonna let KID get away without netting some answers for himself.

_TBC._

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**Afterword: **Thanks for reading! Please review and tell me your thoughts! Big thanks to everyone who fav-ed/alert-ed/reviewed the prologue, as well as everyone who put me on their author fav/alert list! \^p^/

Not very good at writing mysteries, so hopefully this chapter wasn't too boring. OTL

Chapter title from _GARNET CROW_'s _Rhythm_. Check youtube for its live version video! =3


	3. 02 - Chance

**Words: **1055

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**Trade**

**Chapter 02: Chance**

Having a heist at an exhibit related to Suzuki Jirokichi in some shape or form could almost guarantee the attendance of a certain curious midget. Kuroba Kaito, also known as Kaitou KID, wasn't all that surprised when he saw the petit detective with the cowlick along one of the participants.

Kaito still remembered the first encounter with this child detective. It was midnight on the rooftop of Haido City Hotel, where he sent a mock heist notice to trick the Suzuki family and Nakamori-keibu. It was an understatement to say that he was surprised to meet a grade school _child _who could decipher his heist note perfectly and work out a plan to capture him by drawing nearby police's attention. He could never forget the moment when the child with sharp and piercing eyes introduced himself.

_Edogawa Conan, a detective._

It was full of confidence and determination that one would never expect from such a young child.

Ever since then, whenever the two of them clashed, it was a fierce combat of wits and skills. The more he competed against the child, the more intriguing he found the child was. Before he realized it, having another battle of minds against the petit detective had become something he always looked forward to in a heist.

There was something that he couldn't place his finger on though – something always felt out of place about the boy. He was fully aware that the detective was merely seven years old, yet whenever he interacted with him, he couldn't help but treat the detective as someone equal to his age and intellectual. The way the detective acted and talked certainly seemed much more mature than his physical appearance. As silly as it might have sounded, he wouldn't be surprised if the detective was actually an adult trapped inside a child's body – after all, he had seen firsthand the power of magic, and he was searching for a mystical gemstone rumoured to grant immortality.

Tuning away from his musing, Kaito refocused back onto his target of the night, _The Hope Ruby_ – one of the most well-known and precious gemstone in the world. If this ruby ring was indeed the _Pandora_, then it certainly had been coined an appropriate name for those who wished and hoped for immortality.

Yet it had granted _nothing_ but pain and suffering to Kaito's family.

Kaito can't wait to get his hand on the ring to check if it was indeed the one that triggered his father's death. He had already scouted the whole area the day before the heist and fiddled around with the security system. He planned his heist with all possible attendees in mind (certain bespectacled detective included) and had back-up plans prepared so that nothing could possibly go wrong. He was all set to go just as his eyes took a quick glance at the east branch rooftop exit doorway and landed on a_ major _factor that could completely throw him off.

_Snake._

He had no doubt that the hideous and suspicious-looking man who was currently disguised as one of the hotel's doormen was the murderer who took his father's life. The hotel had hired a number of new employees, so it was a perfect opportunity for Snake to take advantage of. Kaito was slightly surprised that the assassin would be present today, as he had never showed up at any of the heists associated with Suzuki Jirokichi, likely due to the high profile nature of such heists. On the other hand, he shouldn't be surprised at all, as there was no reason why Snake wouldn't have suspected _The Hope Ruby_ being _Pandora_ just like he had.

Well, there was no time for him to waste here. This would be a golden chance for him to hit two birds with one stone. All he needed to do was to tweak his plan and lure Snake into the traps that he had originally set up for the task force, and if he was right about the ruby ring being the _Pandora_, he could destroy it in front of the _bloody_ assassin's face and put an end to everything.

At a quick snap of his fingers, the entire room was overtaken by darkness, and the whole security system was deactivated. Letting adrenalin run wild in his body, Kaito immediately landed on top of the bullet-proof glass containers, shoot metal cards at the already-deactivated laser projectors, and snatched the ruby ring via the hidden trap door he had previously installed. While he could've stolen the ruby ring in a much more elaborate manner to appease his fans, now wasn't the right time for that. Positioning himself so that he could be seen clearly by Snake and the taskforce, he allowed light to be poured into the room once again while grabbing everyone's attention with a pink smoke bomb.

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming tonight. I'm sorry to inform you that I must take my leave now. While this wasn't my most elegant performance, I hope you enjoyed it. Until next time!" Quickly flashing the ruby ring on his hand, Kaito covered his track with a blue smoke bomb, while flicking a coin towards the east doorway to create a distraction. He also activated the hacking program he installed into the hotel's security system earlier, to display an intruder alert pointing towards the east rooftop. Satisfied that the task force had fallen for the bait and immediately rushed towards the east branch of the hotel, Kaito immediately sneaked into the stairwell connecting to the north branch's rooftop.

If his timing was right, the task force should arrive on the east branch rooftop just as his face-off against Snake takes place. His heart was racing and his blood was boiling with anticipation, while his hand was clutching _The Hope Ruby _tightly with anxiety. He couldn't wait to check whether or not the ruby ring was Pandora, and he couldn't wait to witness Snake's downfall. All his hard work could _finally_ be paid off. He definitely couldn't waste this chance.

Preoccupied with his inner turmoil about Pandora and Snake, Kaito had completely neglected the presence of a certain bespectacled child detective, who was discreetly following his track. Unbeknownst to both the phantom thief and the detective, a hidden figure with unreadable intention was soundlessly trailing behind them.

_TBC._

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**Afterword: **Thanks for reading! Please review and tell me your thoughts! Big thanks to everyone who fav-ed/alert-ed/reviewed, as well as everyone who put me on their author fav/alert list! \^p^/

I suck at writing action scenes and mystery (I can't wait to get to the fluff portion of the story XD), so I apologize if it was too straightforward… OTL


	4. 03 - Timing

**Words: **1365

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**Trade**

**Chapter 03: Timing**

Kuroba Kaito stopped to catch his breath briefly as he reached the north branch rooftop. He just spotted Snake at the corner of his eyes – the assassin just made it to the rooftop and appeared to be searching for his assassination target. Kaito continued to perform his usual Pandora-check while getting himself ready to dodge the bullet that could be coming his way anytime now. He had to maintain his composure to prevent his assailant from getting suspicious.

A cold sweat slid down the side of the magician thief's face as he gradually raised his right hand that's clutching on to _The Hope Ruby_ ring against the bright full moon in anticipation. Unfortunately, the ring didn't react the way he expected it to. Lowering his arm in disappointment, Kaito kept his eyes and ears open to any movements Snake could be making.

Yet the motion of Snake raising his handgun was unexpectedly accompanied by the sound of the north branch rooftop door being slammed open.

"KID!"

Kaito cursed under his breath as he instantly recognized the owner of that voice and twisted around. He totally forgot that Tantei-kun was here, and the kid just had to budge in at the _right _timing. The sharp pain that pierced through his left shoulder and the silenced bang from Snake's handgun pretty much told him what a terrible idea it was to be distracted by Tantei-kun's intrusion. The only thing he was thankful for was that Snake didn't get his head…

…and that his right hand was still in working order.

The shocked expression on Snake's face was simply priceless as he was caught off guard by the hidden trap right next to him. Just as Nakamori-keibu and the taskforce arrived on that rooftop seconds later, Snake was already tied down by Kaito's trap and was down for the count from the trap's sleeping gas. Although he didn't expect Snake to participate in tonight's heist, he still managed to time and activate his traps (that were originally meant to be used on a certain British detective if he happens to show up) accurately. Despite the sharp pain in his currently bleeding shoulder, Kaito thought he totally deserved more than a pat on his back for his perfect improvisation. He _finally_ managed to outdo that blasted murderer and deliver him to the hands of justice. Snake would have a ton of explaining to do about that fired handgun once he wakes up in police's custody, and hopefully they'd be able to dig more info from Snake regarding their illegal operations and organization. All that's left for Kaito would be to find and destroy the Pandora.

Now the main issue on hand rests on the midget detective in front of him. What should he say to make sure the kid doesn't poke his little nose in this epic mess? Considering his injured condition, perhaps it'd be better off for him to make a run now and save the explanation for next time.

"Hello there, Tantei-kun. If you don't stop gasping you might catch a fly with your mouth."

The child detective immediately snapped out of his shocked state as he tried to regain his composure. "KID! What is this all about?!" Conan demanded as he pointed at KID's injured shoulder.

"Just a little cut; nothing that you should be concerned with." Kaito responded casually as if nothing had happened, and tossed the ruby ring towards the boy, who promptly caught it. "I have no use for it anymore, so you can have it."

Conan glanced at the ring as he contemplated over the present chain of events, before he faced KID again with a sense of seriousness. "I personally wouldn't call _that_ a little cut. You were shot because of this ring, and you _anticipated_ it, didn't you?"

Kaito winced briefly as he brought his right hand up to cover his wound. He had to make sure that none of his blood gets onto the ground – otherwise he would risk getting his identity revealed. Tantei-kun was as sharp as usual; those words were accompanied by absolute certainty. Kaito supposed the fact that he kept his poker face in check despite the circumstances probably gave that away too. Well, there isn't much he could do about that now, and considering his actively bleeding wound, he really should leave as soon as possible. "You can think what you want. After all, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. It's getting a bit late for kids now, so I should be on my way as well. Bye!"

"Wait–"

Ignoring further protests from the boy, Kaito slipped away from the hotel rooftop under the shield of his smoke bombs over the entire area. Fortunately for him, Jii-chan tagged along and hid nearby, so once he meets up with the older gentleman, he'd be on his way to safety.

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Edogawa Conan stomped his foot in frustration as the surrounding smoke cleared off, with the white clad phantom thief no longer in sight. So much happened in the past few minutes that it was rather hard for him to swallow everything. He certainly didn't expect to see _Kaitou KID_ out of all people to be shot in front of him. The bright metallic redness on KID's normally white suit left a substantial afterimage in his mind. He knew he'd want to get to the bottom of those parting words and KID's slightly trembling hands, but how? At a quick survey of the rooftop, it appears there wasn't anything worthy of further investigation, as KID didn't even leave a trace of his blood or hair on scene. That leaves him with KID's assailant – would he be able to weasel his way past the police to get anything out of that guy? He'll also have to find a way to sneak onto that rooftop without getting kicked out, as Nakamori-keibu would likely be less inclined to let a kid hang around a shooting-related crime scene than the officers in Division 1.

This is when Conan realized that he has yet to take a close look at the sniper as he was too focused on KID earlier. He immediately loaded his telescopic lenses and focused on the figure that's being lugged away by the taskforce. The image he saw, however, undoubtedly jotted a sense of terror down his veins.

_Black_.

That guy was wearing nothing but _black_.

Was it a coincidence, or was that sniper related to _them_?!

"Hey brat! What the heck are you doing up here?!"

Conan immediately turned around and found one pissed-off Suzuki Sonoko – no, someone who _appears_ to be Suzuki Sonoko. Now that his senses were all snapped into his _Black Organization mode_, he instantly picked up on all the clues he had missed earlier in his _KID heist mode_. So that's why he had been feeling uneasy all night, and that's why this perturbed sensation felt vaguely familiar. He had been in the presence of not just one, but _two_ Black Organization members. His gut instinct was correct; not only was the natural rhythm of a KID's heist crushed, something _huge_ also took place, except he wasn't sure whether or not _more_ would happen from now on. He had no choice but to play it by ear now, as he was cornered without any forewarning and he had no back-up plans on hand. The timing of this abrupt turn of event was simply terrible.

Ignoring the overwhelming anxiety that's threatening to break his mentality apart, Conan straightened up and glared firmly into the eyes of the venomous woman standing in front of him. If Kaitou KID was connected to the Black Organization in some shape or form, then he must get as much info out of this woman as possible. "I think the same could be said about you. Sonoko-neechan, or should I say… _Vermouth_?"

"Vermouth? Who's that?" The blonde teenage girl raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"The fact that you knew I was referring to a person and not a wine pretty much validated my deduction."

The woman in front of him blinked briefly before deciding to flash her snake-like grin, confirming his suspicion.

"Long time no see,_ Cool Guy_."

_TBC._

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**Afterword: **Thanks for reading! Please review and tell me your thoughts! Big thanks to everyone who fav-ed/alert-ed/reviewed, as well as everyone who put me on their author fav/alert list! \^q^/

I tried to learn more about gun technology and relevant physics but it's rather complicated, so if I was wrong on any of the details, please feel free to let me know. Just don't get too picky on it… *face palm*

I changed the settings back in Chapter 1 & 2 (such as heist location changed from museum to hotel). Such changes would not alter the main plot of the story, it's not strictly necessary to go back to reread the chapters.

Chapter title from GARNET CROW's _Timing_.


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